This invention relates in general to an anchoring device, and in particular to an anchoring device for use in masonry and similar structures.
Anchoring devices are frequently used for anchoring in masonry structures or other structures, wherein a portion of the device--usually a portion of a screw or bolt--extends outwardly of a hole formed in the structure for the anchoring purposes, and carries adjacent to or at some spacing from the exterior surface of the structure an object, such as a cladding panel or the like. The trouble with these anchoring arrangements is that at least the portion which extends beyond the masonry or other supporting structure, i.e. the portion which is located between the supporting structure and the cladding panel, is exposed to the sometimes deleterious ambient conditions, such as moisture, corrosive gas in the atmosphere, or the like, which may cause destruction of this portion due to corrosion. Of course, it is possible to make at least the portions which are so exposed of material that is resistant to corrosion, such as specialty steels. However, these steels are much more expensive than the materials that are normally used for this purpose, and it is also much more difficult to work with them; as a result, the use of such specialty materials would substantially increase the manufacturing and selling expenses of these anchoring devices.
It is, however, important that these devices be available as inexpensively as possible, because they are used in large quantities, so that increasing in the manufacturing and selling cost of such devices can represent substantial additions to the expenses involved in a construction project, renovation project or the like.
Therefore, my copending prior application proposes to surround the exposed portion or portions with a sealing sleeve whose opposite axial ends sealingly engage the surface of the structure and the mounted object, respectively.
This provided excellent corrosion protection for the exposed portions, and also protected the interior portions of the device, i.e. those located in the bore hole, against contact with corrosion-producing media that were present exteriorly of the structure.
However, I have since found that such deleterious media are often present in the structure itself, e.g. moisture in a masonry structure. Contact of these media with the portions of the device located inwardly of the hole, and in fact even with portions located outside the hole and surrounded by the sleeve, is not prevented by my prior invention. This contact can, however, be equally as disadvantageous as contact with media present outside the structure--and is therefore highly undesirable.